Editorial: Psychological and Motor Associations in Sports Performance: A Mental Approach to Sports

Abstract

“Mens sana in corpore sano” is used to paraphrase the idea that physical activity in all its forms is important and essential to foster and maintain mental and psychological well-being. The mind and the body must be considered as inseparable elements that represent two distinct natures of the same experience of living, communicating with and influencing each other. While they have been traditionally explored, analyzed, and treated separately, in recent years, the mind–body unit has witnessed a growing interest in the field of psychology and neuroscience applied to sports. In this Research Topic, we have welcomed papers evaluating different approaches to sport performance. The articles of this collection examine in detail four main themes: (i) mental training to reach peak sports performance, (ii) emotional states associated with performance, (iii) the effects of personality traits on sports performance, and (iv) cognitive and psychophysiological characteristic associated with sports performance.